DENVER (KDVR) — After the Denver Broncos announced plans to release their quarterback, they are also releasing former All-Pro safety Justin Simmons.
Adam Schefter is an ESPN senior NFL insider and was among the first to report the news on X.
According to Schefter, the Broncos are moving on from Simmons after he spent eight seasons with the team. The Broncos will reportedly save $14.5 million against their own salary cap with this move.
Simmons has now been added to the free agent market.
The Broncos released the following statement:
Justin Simmons’ impact as a Denver Bronco extends far beyond his exceptional play during eight seasons with our organization. In addition to growing into an All-Pro and team captain, Justin became our perennial Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year devoted to uplifting others and using his influence for positive change. Whether it was in Denver or his hometown of Stuart, Florida, Justin inspired and mentored countless youth while providing unwavering support to the community. The hundreds of hours he spent at the Denver Broncos Boys & Girls Club will be as much a part of Justin’s legacy with the Broncos as his leadership, dependability and many interceptions.
Justin will always be a Bronco, and we thank him for the outstanding manner in which he represented our organization on and off the field. We wish Justin, his wife Taryn, and their children Laney, Shae and Kyler the very best in the future.”
Denver Broncos
Simmons was the longest-tenured Broncos player. He was drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
The safety has become a big name in Broncos Country and a leader in the locker room. According to the team, Simmons is the fifth safety in the Broncos’ history to be named a Pro Bowler (2020) and an All-Pro (second-team, 2019, 2021, 2022).
Simmons was also chosen as the Broncos’ nomination for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for three consecutive years (2019-21) while also becoming the first three-time winner of the Darrent Williams Good Guy Award (2017, 2019-20), as voted on by the team’s local media.
This news comes as the Broncos are dealing with the dead cap.
All 32 NFL teams have to follow the rules of the salary cap — a collection of calculations, figures, and numbers set as a mark for all the teams to compete on a financially level playing field.
This offseason, the NFL announced the salary cap would be set at $255.4 million. All teams cannot exceed the salary cap and must be under that number by the start of the league’s new year. In 2024, the new year will begin on March 13 at 2 p.m.
